Tag Archives: instructor

In many of the yoga classes taught today, you will probably find that many instructors encourage the class to “set an intention” for the practice. This setting of the intention is typically done within the first minutes of class and can either be specifically assigned by the instructor or left open for the student. The inspiration behind the use of intention in certain schools of yoga is that said intention becomes a point of focus for the mind along with the breath to keep it stable and steady as well as dedicating energy to the manifestation or strengthening of the intention; in this way, the yoga practice becomes more than just a physical practice, but a moving meditation on various levels. For me, the fact that we do set an intention, something to mentally, emotionally, and even spiritually focus on along with the physical postures and movements is what makes yoga so magical and I why I love it so deeply.

All that being said, it can be deeply challenging to choose an intention for your yoga practice and even more difficult to hold onto that intention throughout the class. Once you get going in the practice, it is very easy for the focus on the intention dwindle or even complete drop off. You may find yourself going over your to-do lists and what you need from the grocery store, or you may simply find yourself consumed by the physical efforts that are required of your body in the physical practice. Before you know it, class is cooling down and you never focused on your intention after the first sun salutation. This is completely normal and nothing to beat yourself up over – practice ahimsa (non-violence) – but obviously, we do want to work toward being able to hold our minds on an intention to strengthen our focus and the subject of the intention itself.

The pace of our lives constantly changes; in one season of your life you are moving quickly as you flow from day to day, and then suddenly you find yourself frozen in a position that you may or may not enjoy. The truth is that we cannot always control the pace of our lives; at times it will be too fast, at times too slow giving you a sensation of being stuck, and at other times it will be just right. No matter what, we must learn to adapt, we must learn to be able to go with the flow as well as be able to remain still with a sense of peace.

To reflect this, I have a yoga sequence that I teach in my advanced power vinyasa classes when I feel like myself and those around me might need to practice stillness contrasted by flow and vice versa. I call it my Build, Hold, and Flow Yoga Class.

In this challenging class, we build the main section – the Sun B – one posture at time: one posture for 5-8 breaths, then a chaturanga, then the first posture again for 1 breath, then we add another posture and hold for 5-8 breaths again really highlighting the new posture, and so on and so on. In this way, we must pause in each posture that we add and hold still for a challenging amount of time. I encourage the students to find their best expression of the posture and then focus on their breath and just be okay holding still with where they are at in their practice. Finally, we flow the entire Sun B to contrast the slow build of the sequence. The strength series later on in class is also slowly built, but constantly moving forward with little to no breaks. Overall, the class alternates from very slow to quick flow and mirrors the paces we experience and different times in our own lives.

This sequence has helped me when struggling to adapt to the changes in pace of my own life and my students seem to like it too, plus it is a killer work out! I hope you enjoy my Build, Hold, and Flow Yoga Class!

After Labor Day, we enter into a time of transition. Students and parents settle in for the school year, the fall season starts to change the colors of the trees and the temperature of the air, and everyone seems to buckle down for a different rhythm of life. The transition from the free and fun summer season to the more regimented and busy fall season can be tough.

In yoga, instructors often theme our classes to what is happening in the world at the present time in the hopes that the message and practice will help students with whatever they are facing off the yoga mat. At this time of year, I like to theme my classes to reflect this transitional time.

In the summer of 2013, I embarked on a yogic journey in CorePower Yoga’s Power Yoga Teacher Training. To this day, that time in my life remains in my mind as a true high point; Teacher Training will always be consider one of my greatest life experiences. At the end of the 8 week, 200-hour program, I graduated with my certification to teach power vinyasa yoga; but more importantly I graduated with a deeper yoga practice, new wisdom and inspiration, and a wealth of new friends. The experience left me enriched in many meaningful ways.

I went on to teach yoga, which I still obviously do; but I also found myself more involved a wonderful, kind, and healthy community, found myself a group of lifelong friends, and discovered a lot about who I am and what I want to do in this world. Yoga had become a passion of mine, and so I made an investment in myself and pursued that passion with the Teacher Training program; the ROI at the end of all of it was simply astounding.

About Me

Ciao! I’m Johnny La Pasta! I’m here to talk about food, yoga, wellness, and overall balanced living. Any thoughts I have on any of these subjects is fair game here! Hope you find my words entertaining and informative! Namaste!